


Crescendo

by Auggusst



Series: Heart and Mind [18]
Category: Captain America (Movies), Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Alpha Tony Stark, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Angst, Arguing, Bond Sickness, James "Rhodey" Rhodes is a Good Bro, M/M, Mpreg, Non-Traditional Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Pining, Pregnancy, Pregnant Tony Stark, Tension, Tony Stark Needs a Hug, meetings, secrecy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-25
Updated: 2020-09-25
Packaged: 2021-03-07 19:07:03
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,160
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26652658
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Auggusst/pseuds/Auggusst
Summary: Tony gets another visit from Secretary Ross, and without being able to contact Steve, struggles to reach his due date.
Relationships: Steve Rogers/Tony Stark
Series: Heart and Mind [18]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1670740
Comments: 29
Kudos: 158





	Crescendo

**Author's Note:**

> I tried to get this one out quick so I can start writing the next one 👀 We'll see how quick that one gets finished hehe. Enjoy! Also, as I mentioned on my blogs, the next few fics are going to be exclusively from Tony's side, because I just. I can't be bothered to write a week's worth of filler content of Steve and co. travelling to Wakanda. I just can't lol. I'm sorry! Hopefully it's all still entertaining enough without Steve's POV. His perspective will be there where it's necessary.

Time dragged on that night, after they discovered the situation. Tony was on edge, which meant, naturally, that Rhodey was too.

Tony attempted to track Steve’s flip phone, spent the better part of the evening configuring his own in order to find its companion. He worked fervently, couldn’t help but feel that time was of the essence, because it was, but it was to no avail. The search was unsuccessful. Either Steve’s phone was off or had been destroyed in the crash, making it untraceable. Instinct, the deep sinking feeling in his heart, told him it was the latter. Tony cursed his life for the hundredth time then, shed more angry tears that night than he could count.

The next morning, they got a visit from Ross.

Tony had been expecting it. He knew it was only a matter of time before the Secretary’s team would discover the inconsistency in geo-location between the search algorithm he’d given them and the reality of the unfolding events. The timestamps were clearly different, there was no way around it. Tony had hoped it wouldn’t come to this, had hoped the rogues wouldn’t be spotted, but apparently their luck had run out.

He had FRIDAY encode his copy of the algorithm, the accurate copy. He had her encode all recent footage and data, buried the files deep in his system, so they wouldn’t be found. If the UN tried to search his files, he’d refuse them of course, but if they came back with a search warrant, he didn’t want to hand them anything on a silver platter.

Rhodey was on his guard too. He’d sent an encoded message to Vision, explained the situation and insisted he return immediately. He couldn’t be found with Wanda. As far as the UN knew, he had never left American soil, and the Secretary would be suspicious if he were missing from the Compound when they arrived. He made it back with an hour and a half to spare. Wanda had been loathe to let him leave, was naturally worried for everyone’s safety, and got herself to a small village in France, laying low until the situation was handled.

“I want to send you to search for them,” Tony told Vision as they discussed the details.

It was only 6am, and he was exhausted, but he doubted Ross and Co. would wait until noon to make their appearance. He wanted to be prepared, get everything sorted out ahead of time. “I can’t let you go until we get things under control though. We’ve got to make sure they believe our story, believe that we had nothing to do with it. Hell, they might send you themselves. If that happens…”

“I will do my best to ensure Ross doesn’t discover the truth,” Vision replied. “Once I analyze the crash site, I can attempt to identify their path, figure out where they might be going. Perhaps I can intercept them.”

“We need to find a way to communicate with them,” Rhodey said. “If we could figure out how to do that, all of this would be way easier.”

“There’s no way,” Tony replied, shaking his head. He crossed his arms. “They destroyed the homing beacons in their suits first thing. There’s no easy way to track them. I’m tempted to send drones out, but if they get ID’d then the whole shebang is over in an instant, and we’ll be dealing with a hell of a court case. _If_ we even get a court case. They might toss us all in The Raft immediately.”

“We’ll have to wait and see if they’ll send Vision alone or with a team. Hopefully it’ll be alone,” Rhodey said.

“I doubt we’ll be that lucky,” Tony replied, rubbing his aching back. When was the last time he felt comfortable in any capacity? He wasn’t sure. He heaved a sigh.

“You should go back to bed,” Rhodey suggested, putting a hand on his shoulder. It didn’t take a genius to notice how exhausted Tony was. All of this really couldn’t have come at a worse time. “They’ll be suspicious if we’re ready for them.”

Tony agreed.

He couldn’t get back to sleep though.

He was too concerned, filled with too much worry. Where was Steve at the moment? Was he okay, or was he hurt? Where was he headed? Would they ever speak to each other again, even have the chance to? Or was Tony really on his own now? Had it all come to an end? Would he have to spend the rest of his life without his mate? And furthermore, how would today progress? Would Tony be able to talk his way out of prison, or had he damned himself, and his child?

He was so close—only two weeks left before his due date, and he already felt miserable. How much more miserable would he feel moving forward now, without Steve’s reassurances, his voice soothing the pain and sickness? How would this affect their baby? Things were already dangerous, could they become even more so? Had their mutual stupidity damned their child? Tony desperately hoped they hadn’t. He couldn’t live with himself if that were the case.

If only things were different, so long ago. If only none of this had ever happened. If they were still together, maybe it could have all been good. They could have been carefree and eagerly awaiting their little bundle of joy. Tony wouldn’t have spent nights lonely and struggling to sleep. He wouldn’t have spent his days feeling sick and in pain, with his neck burning so intensely he didn’t remember what it was like not to feel pain there. Steve could have held him close each night, reassured him, made him feel safe and loved, instead of overwhelmed and abandoned. Maybe they could have been _happy_.

But no. They weren’t happy now. They were separated, because of a few stupid decisions that Tony was sure now would haunt them for a lifetime.

He tried not to think on it too long, especially when his eyes started burning with unshed tears. He held Steve’s pillow tight, stared at a blank spot on the wall for an hour or two, until hunger drove him to action.

Eating helped a little. At least, it settled his body, if not his mind. The scrambled eggs Rhodey made went down easier than he thought they would, with how tense Tony was feeling. He wasn’t looking forward to his check up with Nurse Celene that afternoon. He was sure there wouldn’t be any good news now, and Tony and Rhodey knew it.

Breakfast was eaten mostly in silence.

Ross arrived half an hour later, and that was when things got interesting.

Sitting in the conference room, both Tony and the Secretary were reminded of their last meeting, where threats were exchanged and neither party left happy. They’d managed to not have a repeat performance over the passing months, thankfully, but neither were particularly excited about the prospect of yet another meeting. Ross barely offered a greeting this time around, said time was of the essence, and led them to the conference room.

Tony, Rhodey and Vision feigned ignorance of the situation of course, pretended to be surprised by his visit, and it seemed to be working. But then again, Ross had a decent pokerface.

He stood at the head of the table, drummed his fingers on the smooth glass, regarded all of them silently.

After a few seconds, Tony sighed, rubbed his temple. “Are you gonna tell us why you’re here, or are you gonna keep leaving your fingerprints all over my furniture?”

Ross gave him an irritated little smile, but withdrew his fingers. “We got a hit,” he said simply.

They pretended to be surprised. “What?” Tony asked, purposefully widening his eyes. “Wh—where? When?”

“Last night, the Quinjet was spotted in Italian airspace, departing from an old factory. Our operatives pursued the rogues southward, across the ocean, engaged them. The jet went down in northern Tunisia.”

They pretended to let the information soak in, exchanged glances. “Did you catch them? Where are they?” Tony asked, a little hesitation in his tone, which he cursed himself for. He had to get it under control. He couldn’t afford to let Ross know what he knew.

“That’s why I’m here,” Ross replied, a hand placed on his belt. “We scoured the crash site, and searched in a twenty mile radius, but there was no sight of them. No bodies in the wreckage either. They just disappeared.”

“And what do you want us to do about it?” Tony prodded, frowning.

If they’d already searched the site, and hadn’t found the phone, then maybe they were in the clear. Maybe Ross really didn’t know about their involvement. Then again, there was still the tracking algorithm… Shit, this was scary. He really didn’t want this meeting to end badly.

Tony played it cool, readjusted his position in his chair.

Ross continued. “We want to send in the Vision. I’m sure if there’s anything we missed, he’ll be able to pick it up.”

Vision nodded softly, as if on board with the idea. “It might be difficult to find any trace of them, now that the Quinjet has been destroyed. Unless they obtain new personal devices, I’m afraid my search capabilities are no more useful Mr. Stark’s search algorithm.”

Tony tried not to flinch when Vision brought it up. His heart beat a little quicker. _‘He’s got you pinned,’_ his brain unhelpfully supplied. _‘This is it. Fuck.’_ Rhodey put a hand on his shoulder then, reminding him to stay calm, and Tony played it off as a painful kick, rubbed his belly.

“Speaking of the search algorithm,” Ross replied, a bitter grin growing on his face. “There seems to be an issue with it.”

“What kind of issue?” Rhodey asked.

“The damn thing runs slow. The programming is too complex to decode, like all of Stark’s stuff, but my technicians are under the impression there’s a deliberate delay in the GPS. It sends notifications late. Two hours late, to be precise.” None of them missed the irritation in the Secretary’s voice, in his scent. He regarded them all suspiciously, unpleasant eyes filled with disdain.

“And you think I had something to do with that?” Tony replied, frowning right back at him. He raised his chin proudly, like he had during their last in-person meeting.

“Who else would be to blame?” Ross replied. He wasn’t deterred by Tony’s posture, not this time. “It’s _your_ program. You’re the sole developer.”

“You really think Tony would do something like that?” Rhodey interjected, looking annoyed. He let out the smallest inclination of a growl, protective of his friend.

“I don’t know,” Ross shot back, bared his teeth a fraction. “Would you?”

“Are you kidding me?” Tony replied, sitting up straighter. He didn’t really have the energy for posturing lately, and already he was feeling a little worse for wear, since hearing the news. He wasn’t going to let Ross talk to him like that though (even if he was right to be accusatory.)

“I told you before—if I wanted Steve here, he’d be here already. Why the fuck would I go through the extra work to sabotage my own programming? I want them found more than anyone. If they’re in custody, that means you’ll get off my fucking back,” he snapped, let a little irritation seep out.

It wasn’t hard to fake, really. He still hated seeing Ross, hated talking to him. He was sick of all the video conferences, the calls. He was sick of being watched.

Rhodey squeezed his shoulder. “Tony—“

Tony shrugged his hand off, got to his feet as quick as he could in his condition. It was only partly theatrics. He had a mind to tell Ross what he really thought, and he knew he had to choose his words carefully, but no one really liked dealing with a hysterical pregnant person, and he was going to use that to his advantage. It would make their story more believable too.

“No! I’m sick of this nonsense! For months now I’ve been hounded about this shit. For _months_ you’ve been up my ass asking for this and that, making me chase after _my own mate_! Even if we’re not together, it’s—it’s fucking embarrassing! You have no idea what I’ve been going through, how much I’m suffering, and now you come into my house _again_ and accuse me of sabotage when I’m the only fucker on the team who supported the Accords right away?” he snapped.

Ross squared his shoulders, opened his mouth to speak again, but Tony cut him off.

“The three of us are the only ones who agreed to all of this without a fuss. We’ve done everything you’ve asked! I gave you a perfectly good tracking algorithm. If something’s wrong with it, either your team fucked it up, or the others caught on to it and hired a guy to reroute their signal, to make them harder to find. Either way, it’s not my fucking problem! I’ve got a baby coming in two weeks. I haven’t left this Compound in _months_. I’ve been sick, still _am_ sick, and miserable, and I’ve got my own problems to deal with!”

Ross bristled. “It’s nothing personal, Stark. It’s a matter of international security! For every bit I’ve been on your team’s case about this, someone’s been on mine double the amount!” he replied, and it was perhaps the first time he’d ever spoken candidly to any of them.

“Don’t you think I’d rather be at home in bed or out on the golf course right now instead of here?”

“Look, sir, with all due respect, Tony’s right. We’re doing everything we can,” Rhodey replied, standing himself. He braced Tony’s shoulders, guided him into sitting down again.

Tony was reluctant at first, but allowed himself to be maneuvered. He and Rhodey shared a look—Rhodey understood what he’d intended with the outbursts, and he was intent on finishing this meeting up quickly now. It wouldn’t be the first time they’d talked their way out of a terrible situation. They became old pros at it during their time at MIT.

The Alpha sighed. “If it weren’t for Tony’s health, I’d join the search myself. But at this point, I can’t leave his side.”

Ross didn’t seem happy exactly, but he didn’t seem quite as angry. Their performance was doing its job; it seemed his fears were placated at least a little, if the way his shoulders dropped a little were any indication.

Rhodey wasn’t sure the subject of the search algorithm was entirely put to rest; he had a feeling it would come up again. They’d have to get their story straight, maybe take steps to fabricate the truth in their favor. For now though, it seemed Ross’ attention was sufficiently diverted.

“I will search the crash site,” Vision said when there was a moment of silence. “I will report all of my findings, whether they seem irrelevant or not. Further analysis might provide us with a clue as to their whereabouts.”

“It’ll have to do,” Rhodey added, nodding at the Secretary. “With Tony so close to the due date, he really shouldn’t be working at all. He needs to focus on his health. We’ve already had close calls, in case you’ve forgotten.”

Secretary Ross sighed, pinched the bridge of his nose. “Fine,” he replied. He held up an index finger in the direction of the Android. “Vision, you’ve got an hour. At the end of that hour, you’d better be on your way to the crash site.”

He turned his finger towards Tony and Rhodey. “The two of you, keep an eye out for correspondence. I’m sure this isn’t the last we’ll be seeing of each other anytime soon.”

Tony frowned a little, but nodded. “If I come across anything, I’ll let you know. Do try to give a few hours’ warning before showing up again, will you? Having my schedule suddenly interrupted isn’t exactly helpful at this point.”

“No promises,” Ross replied, and straightened his jacket. He didn’t look any happier than when he came, but by the look on his face, this impromptu meeting was, thankfully, drawing to a close.

“You might want to reconsider our original plan,” he added, looking directly at Tony. “If they’re out there with nowhere to turn, we could get this done real quick.”

The brunet shook his head. “No. No, I don’t want that,” he replied firmly. “It’s not the right time. I can’t deal with a PR nightmare right now.” That much was true. Steve was missing, and they were all in danger. Trying to explain even a fraction what was going on to the media seemed impossible. What could he say?

Ross wasn’t happy with that answer, let out a sharp, annoyed exhale. “You can’t say no forever,” he said, straightening the cuffs of his jacket. “It’s our best option, and I’m not letting it go. After the baby is born, you get a month’s time maximum. After that, I’m _going_ to make an announcement. We’re going to catch these bastards with or without your help. This has gone on long enough.”

“You can’t do that,” Rhodey protested, shaking his head. “That’s a complete invasion of privacy! If Tony doesn’t agree to it, you’re subjecting him and his baby to a media shitstorm that none of us are prepared for. This isn’t exactly a small story—it’s world-breaking news. I won’t let you do that.”

“Frankly, Colonel, it isn’t up to you,” Ross replied, frowning heavily. “It’s going to happen, either on his terms or mine.”

Rhodey couldn’t help but growl a little at that. God, he hated Ross. He hated everything about this, and he was starting to hate the Accords too. Tony deserved better than this. He deserved better than all he got, and Rhodey was getting damn sick of people treating him like a commodity, like a tool to be used. Now they wanted to do the same thing to Tony’s child, to Rhodey’s godson? He couldn’t stand that. Fuck, he hated it. It was only the respect for the chain of command which held him back now, kept him from doing anything rash. What he really wanted to do was beat the snot out of the Secretary, teach him and everyone else a lesson about messing with Tony.

Rhodey’s irritation was palpable, his scent strong and aggressive, flooding the room. His fists were clenched, and Tony locked a hand around his wrist now, tugged on it a little to remind the Alpha to behave. Tony would’ve preferred letting Rhodey go, letting him have his way with Ross, but that wouldn’t end well for anyone. They couldn’t afford to fuck up.

He let out a harsh exhale.

“Give me some time,” Tony insisted when it was clear Rhodey was holding his tongue, though his eyes were dark, angry. His heart was still leaping out of his chest, and he tightened his free hand in a fist to stay calm.

This meeting was going well, all things considered, but Tony didn’t feel any better about any of it. He only felt more nervous, more sure that the jaws were going to close around them, that none of this would end well. He’d been given an ultimatum now too, which he would have to deal with. He wasn’t looking forward to that.

“I’ll figure it out,” Tony said, because he had to.

“I’m holding you to that, Stark,” the Secretary replied, and he meant it. “I’ll show myself out.”

With that, he left the room, and the Compound too.

When he was gone for good, Tony let out a sigh, practically deflated in his seat. He closed his eyes, massaged his temple—this entire situation was giving him a headache. He wanted to feel relieved, wanted to be reassured by the fact that they hadn’t been arrested, but it only served to make him more tense.

Rhodey felt the same way. This meeting may have been over, but their troubles were far from it.

Neither knew exactly what to say.

Thankfully, their companion broke the silence.

“Well, that could have gone marginally worse,” Vision announced, standing from his seat.

“Could’ve gone better too,” Rhodey countered, still frowning. He brushed a protective hand through Tony’s hair; it was as much for the brunet’s comfort as his.

He’d always been protective of Tony, even though he knew his friend didn’t really _need_ protection. Tony—well, Tony may have been the strongest person Rhodey had ever met, even if he was stubborn and stupid and didn’t always do what was best for himself. His perseverance was inspiring, gave Rhodey the courage to face the obstacles in his life too. He couldn’t imagine life without Tony in it, and would do everything possible to keep him safe and happy.

“They’ll ask about the algorithm again,” Tony said, letting out a sigh. “They will. I’ve got to figure out what to do about it.”

“We’ll figure something out, just not right now. Come on, let’s get you somewhere more comfortable. These chairs suck,” Rhodey replied, tugging on his hand gently.

“Rude,” Tony muttered. “I picked these chairs.”

The other Alpha smiled a little. “Well, hate to break it to you, but they suck.”

“Shut up and help me up,” Tony replied, rolling his eyes fondly. He was glad Rhodey was in the mood to joke; it’d help him get everything off his mind, if that were even possible. At this point, he didn’t think it was. Tony knew he wouldn’t be getting any rest until all of this was over. He wasn’t sure how to even _attempt_ to rest.

“I’ll head to Tunisia immediately,” Vision announced as Rhodey helped Tony out of his seat. “If I find anything helpful, I will inform you immediately. Hopefully there will be something to lead me to them.”

His expression said that he didn’t think there would be anything useful though. If the UN had already failed to identify something, then how much more could Vision logically see? How much had their friends left behind? Where were they headed? And if Vision’s search was in vain, how would they proceed?

Tony was thinking along similar lines. He chewed the inside of his cheek, nodded to Vision, and tried to hope for the best. If this didn’t work, he had to think of something else. He wasn’t sure he could idly sit by if Vision’s little trip didn’t get them anywhere. He needed Steve. Whether he wanted it to be that way or not, he needed Steve. If their search failed, it would be time for brainstorming, maybe for something a little riskier. He hoped it wouldn’t come to that.

Tony and Rhodey said their goodbyes to Vision, and wished him luck.

Their luck wasn’t enough.

They kept searching.

Tony scoured social media, checked old correspondence servers, tried to collect footage from whatever uncorrupted files remained from the Quinjet. He wasn’t rewarded with anything recent, or useful. He spent the night in Rhodey’s bed, reminiscing about their college days to feel better. It didn’t help much.

Two days later, the UN tapped cameras and phones all over the African continent, set up around the clock surveillance in a 200 mile radius from the crash site. They didn’t catch sight of the rebels, and didn’t receive any hints or clues either. It was radio silence.

Three days later, Tony spent half an hour over the toilet, vomiting until his throat was raw, feeling lightheaded. His neck was burning and body flushed with a feverish ache.

The doctor insisted he be put on bed rest, and Pepper came over, spent the day at his side, dabbing sweat from his brow and making sure he stayed hydrated. He barely slept.

Four days later, the Braxton Hicks contractions started. His belly dropped a little too, but the doctor said that was common up to a week before birth, so he tried not to worry.

He worried anyway, especially when his feverish symptoms barely withdrew. Rhodey stayed with him while Vision reunited with Wanda. She didn’t have any information to offer either. No one was happy.

Five days later, there was still no sign of Steve and the others, and Tony spent the day alternating between his bed and the luxurious tub in his bathroom, trying to relieve the aching in his back and pelvis.

The false contractions eased off for a while, allowed him a few hours’ worth of rest, but came back with a vengeance, or so he thought. They turned out not to be Braxton Hicks this time at all. He just didn’t know it yet, tried to ignore the pain, watched some dumb movie with Pepper and Rhodey to take his mind off of it, and everything else.

Six days later, his water broke.

**Author's Note:**

> Ahhh let me know your thoughts!!! Things are really picking up now 👀 Also, Vision had screentime?! Don't get used to that lmfao


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